Friday, August 15, 2014

As the owner of a gallery it's a real pleasure to have the chance to visit others. It is a passion after all and there is nothing like indulging your passion.

I found myself in Paris last week (on honeymoon!) and happily we had a week to run around as many galleries and museums as possible. I'm still in the throes of Stendhal's syndrome (his was induced by Florence which is understandable, but I've got 200 years on Stendhal and Paris is overflowing with artistic diversity).

So the Louvre Museum is as big as you can get and it felt that the entire population of the world was in there, but it's not to be missed. As a lover of modern art, it is a glorious experience to be immersed in the centuries of outstanding art that came before.﻿﻿﻿﻿

Les Deux Soeurs by Chasseriau

Paolo et Francesca by Scheffer

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Something Quite Famous . . . .

The Pompidou Centre is as different as you can get from the Louvre and perhaps exhibits the great freedom of expression that artists have enjoyed in more recent times.

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High Voltage Painting by Martial Raysse

Young Lady with Gloves by Lempicka

Window Installation from The Arab Institute

The Musee D'Orsay was overwhelming. The beauty of the building was incredible. Who knew a railway station could be destined for what I think is one of the world's greatest art venues. If you are patient, you can get a clear sight of the most beautiful collection of Van Gogh paintings outside his museum in Amsterdam.

The small but perfectly formed Orangerie Museum was a delight for me because it housed personal art collections, mainly of art impressario Paul Guillaume. He had the pleasure of exhibiting the likes of Modigliani, Cezanne, Derain, Picasso and Laurencin. For me the stand out artist in this particular collection, which is saying something, was Chaim Soutine.

This room burst into life even after seeing the wonderful Modigliani and Picasso paintings. The Orangerie is of course also home to the permanent collection of Monet's eight waterlily paintings.

The art housed in the galleries of Paris can fill a library of books. It was lovely to have this glimpse and be filled up to the brim with the art of painting and sculpture, the most instinctive and yet most sophisticated of art forms.

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Located in the beautiful village of Blanefield just north of Glasgow, Smithy Gallery opened in November 2005. Natalie Harrison has lovingly restored the village's original blacksmiths, retaining many of its original features, while creating a unique space to showcase the best in Scottish contemporary art.